The Mascenic Regional School District is looking head ahead in planning its financial future.
Superintendent Ruthann Goguen presented the school board with the district’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2018, which would be 1.7 percent higher than the approved plan for 2017.
“The principle job of a school board is to look out for the taxpayers,” Chairman Jeff Salmonson said.
Just this year, the district misreported its revenue to the state, causing Greenville to need to correct its tax rate. Goguen said that after financial controversies in 2013 and 2014, the district is getting stronger.
“From my perspective, fiscal year 2015 was the first year we can look at for historical reference and we were very fiscally responsible and more able to send $1 million back to the taxpayers,” she said.
The 2018 budget, as proposed, would be $18,719,703, a 1.7 percent increase from 2017’s $18,405,110 caused by mandatory salary obligations.
Only one position is proposed to be cut, a high school art teacher, of which there are currently two. Parents at the meeting protested this, saying students already feel there are not enough art options. Sixty-nine percent of the proposed expenditure would be for staff salaries and benefits.
The board will discuss and debate the budget in coming meetings after members have had a chance to look through and study the proposal.
“We were really excited that we were able to do this and get it down,” Goguen said.
Before the presentation, Monday’s meeting opened with Goguen and school principals being honored by the New Hampshire Wood Energy Council for their commitment to wood-chip heating in all district buildings.
“Nobody sees a boiler, boilers aren’t sexy, yet they’re creating heat and the benefits of renewable energy everyday,” Charles Niebling, a representative from the council, said. “Most people in here probably don’t realize they’re being heated by wood energy.”